Just One More Time
by OneAndOnlyHardyGirl
Summary: She needed all the luck she could get, and he needed all the love she had in her... she was teaching him so much about growing up and she was just a baby, his baby.
1. Daddy? Me!

Just One More Time

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Jeff." The man said with a nod as the rainbow haired wrestler walked into the room.

"Not a problem, Bill. Is it my new contract?" Jeff asked. He'd been waiting for his lawyer to call him ever since he got the new contract written up, Bill had had it for a while now and he supposed that the man had just been to busy to look it over until now.

"No Jeff." Bill said shaking his head at the younger man as he ushered him to a seat in his office. Jeff sat down looking confused, he thought the only thing he'd put Bill in charge of was his contract for now. "I was sent a few things this morning of a very urgent matter. The instructions with it said to let you read this first." The man said sliding an envelope across the table.

Jeff saw his name neatly printed on the front but when he turned it over he froze staring at the name printed just under the tab. "A. Rockland… Amy…" Jeff whispered to himself, he hadn't heard from her in years though. She had disappeared from the face of the Earth years ago. He forced himself to open the envelope and pull the letter out sliding it open. Violent purple pen strikes assaulted his eyes; it was just like the letters they used to exchange when they were still friends.

_June 4, 2000_

_Jeff,_

_I've no doubt it's been years since the last time I've seen you. I'm sorry for that, but I was doing what I thought was best for everyone involved._

_But if you're reading this that means something has happened to me, on that note there is something you need to know. You have a daughter, her name is Margaret. You are her only family now; please take care of our daughter Jeff, please._

_Love,_

_Amy_

Jeff read the letter again and again… a daughter? Him? He looked at the date again it was the day before she disappeared, she was still pregnant when she wrote this letter six years ago. "What should I do Bill?"

"According to this she was transferred from her group home in New York to the one in town. You're welcome to go get her, or leave her until you have a paternity test done." Bill told him hoping the man would think this through.

"What if I take her and it turns out I'm not her father?" Jeff asked, it was a good solid question. He didn't want to hurt the little girl even if she wasn't his.

"She'll go back to the group home." Bill told him, "She is still young enough that she could be adopted fairly easily." Jeff didn't really like the sound of that answer; he didn't want to get her hopes up like that just to crush them by sending her away. It wasn't Margaret's fault this happened she was the victim here not anyone else. He really didn't want her in a group home, especially if she was his.

"I should go meet her." Jeff said softly. "I'm going to call my brother and have him meet me there." It was as much for his sake as it would be hers, he needed his brother's support and Margaret would probably want to meet her uncle. But god what was with that name, Amy screwed the poor kid for life.

"Do you think it would be a good idea for you and Matt to get attached? Not to mention Beth will need to be told." Bill reminded him.

"Bill if this is my daughter; I won't have her left in a home." Jeff nearly growled at the man before walking out of the room pulling his cell phone out so he could call Matt. "Matt, I need your help man."

"With what Jeff? Dad just got here, we were about to get ready for the barbeque." Matt said over the phone.

"Dude, I just talked to Bill." He reached the outside of the building and lit a cigarette. "I thought it was going to be my contract… its not. Matt I might have a daughter, and she is in the group home in town. I… I need some support when I go pick her up."

"When are you going to get her?" Matt asked he was too stunned to ask anything else really.

"Soon as I finish this smoke… so you think you can come, it shouldn't take long." Jeff said.

"Yeah just let me tell dad I need to run out for a few minutes." Matt said hanging up his own phone.

Jeff sighed taking another drag of his cigarette he leaned against his car and sighed the smoke from his lungs, "what have I gotten myself into this time?"


	2. Uncle Matt

"Shane, come on I want to play." It was the foster mother's daughter Lizzy, she was around Margaret's age but she didn't quite get the fact that the other girl really just didn't feel like playing right now. Margaret shook her head at the other girl and looked out the window; the car was still just sitting there. The driver hadn't come out but you couldn't make out the person inside because of the glare against the wind shield.

"Who do you think it is, Lizzy?" Margaret asked still looking out, the driver's side window rolled down a crack and not even a minute late a fluffy white cloud of smoke snaked its way from the opening evaporating into delicate wisps on the breeze before vanishing completely. She was about to turn away when a second car pulled up next to the first one, the driver's door opened but her foster mother drew her away from the window before she could see and sent Lizzy and Margaret to play with the other children.

She stepped outside without looking back as Lizzy pulled Margaret from the room. "You must be the Hardy brother's Mr. Davidoff told me you'd be here soon to see Margaret." She said with a cheery smile. "Which of you is the father?" She asked clasping her hands behind her back.

"I am." Said the younger brother, she didn't seem very thrilled about that one after all his hair was four different colors and longer then hers. "How is my daughter?"

"She's been doing just fine since she was brought here; I think she is playing with the other children just now. You have a very smart little girl on your hands." She said with a grin. "Why don't you gentlemen follow me and you can look in on the children before you fill out the release papers." She said turning to the house when the boys started towards the front stoop.

"And this is my daughter Lizzy and the foster kids." She said as she looked into the toy room, Margaret was sitting by herself on the other side of the room looking at the people in the door.

"Which is Margaret?" Matt asked, noticing that the little girl with brown hair and eyes looking at them grimaced.

Jeff nodded to her, "her, she looks just like Amy." He said softly as the woman explained she liked her middle name better. "The letter I had only said her first name." Jeff informed the woman.

"Margaret Shane Elizabeth Rockland. She likes people to call her Shane." The woman explained quickly.

"Hey I'll stay here and talk to her while you fill out the papers bro." Matt told them before wondering into the room and over to the girl, they never had a chance to object. "Hi." He said smiling at her.

"Hi." She said softly.

"Can I sit with you Shane?" He asked and she nodded, "do you know who I am?"

She looked up at him and nodded slightly, "Your Matt Hardy… momma always said you and your brother were going to be bigger then life. I never thought I'd get to meet you two though."

"Ah you know who I am in wrestling, did your mom watch with you?" He asked the little girl nodded tears brimming those big brown eyes. "Well I'm your Uncle Matt, and Jeff is your daddy. Don't cry Shortcakes." He said gently whipping the tears from her eyes. She launched herself into his arms crying and saying she wanted her momma. "I wish I had my mom still sometimes too."

"Why don't you?" She whimpered looking up at him.

"She got very sick and died when I was twelve… your Daddy was only nine then… I miss her a lot." Matt told her.

"Does it ever get better Uncle Matt?" She asked.

He looked down at her, he wasn't going to lie. "It will always be there Shortcakes, but it'll get better with time and people that love you around."

"Will you and Daddy always be there for me?" She asked.

"Anytime Shortcakes." Matt promised kissing her forehead. "Want to go meet your daddy?" She nodded and he smiled picking her up and carrying her from the room.


	3. PawPaw

_**I meant to get this up days ago, I'm sorry! I'm so busy with work and my animals that when I have a few extra hours I try to sleep… though I will admit I do most of my writing when I'm standing in front of my register at work…**_

**Since Shane is going to be called Shane unless she is in trouble I'm officially going to stop referring to her as Margaret.**

Chapter Three: Paw-Paw

Matt carried Shane into the room her father was in even if he was currently bent over a piece of paper looking the most intense that he'd seen in a while. He really was growing up and by the looks of him he'd do anything to get his little girl home, he might need that latter when it came to telling Beth about the girl.

"Now she is five and she needs to be put into kindergarten come September." The woman said Jeff just slightly nodded kind of grunting but not muttering a single word, the woman must have been prattling on to him since Matt left them. Jeff just looked at the form it was getting rather tedious and yet it amazed him how many ways you could word the same damn question!

He was up to counting five about jobs, three on housing, two on transportation, and a feeling of more to come just as Shane piped up. "I get to start school this year?" She was grinning hugely from her spot on Matt's hip. Jeff turned finally noticing his brother and daughter had joined them, seeing that excited look on her face made him break into a grin, she loved to learn just like her foster mother had said she was very bright. Her mother had never baby-talked her even as an infant, she didn't want her to get used to that nonsense. She knew her alphabet and even her numbers up to about fifty-three before she started to loose track and had to start over again.

"You sure do, Princess." Jeff said making her smile even brighter if that was possible.

"When do we get to go home daddy? Uncle matt said we're having a cook out with Paw-Paw." I've never had a Paw-Paw before…" Shane said then turned to Matt, "what kind of family is a Paw-Paw?"

Matt chuckled lightly, yep she really was five. "Paw-Paw is a grandfather. In this case he is your daddy's and my father."

"So if Momma had a daddy he'd be my Paw-Paw too?" She asked a little confused, her mother had never talked about her family other then to call Shane's father, dad… in context of course.

"That's right Shortcakes." Matt said with a smile.

"Do you think Paw-Paw will like me?" Shane asked.

"He'll love you Princess, I promise." Jeff told her with a reassuring smile as he handed over the paperwork to the woman.

"Well I guess this is all… Shane why don't you go get your stuff." The woman suggested from her seat.

Matt set Shane down on her feet and she ran out of the room grabbing her back pack and the giant stuffed pig from the bed she'd used the night before. She hadn't been able to bring much with her, but her mother had enough money stashed away that after her funeral Jeff would be able to move the little girl's stuff to her new home.

Shane went to the front door where the three adults stood talking and waiting for her. Her foster mother bent down hugging her, "good luck Shane."

Shane looked over at her father and uncle, "thanks but I don't think I need luck this time…" She whispered in the woman's ear.

"I hope you don't Shane, but I want all the good luck for you right now." She told her pulling away.

"Thank you." Shane told her before she held her hand out to Jeff who smiled taking it. He was amazed at how small that hand was, so soft and delicate… it was at that moment that he actually felt like a dad for the first time. This was his baby; he'd helped bring her into the world… he felt horrible that he hadn't been there with her every waking moment since she'd been born.

He felt the tears sting his eyes until he felt that small hand squeeze lightly in his palm he smiled down at her, "come'ere you." He said laughing as he picked her up making her squeal as he swung her around holding tightly to his arms her pig flying out of her hold and smacking him in the face. He made an odd face and started to laugh, "Ok I guess I deserved that." He said and bent picking up the pig depositing the thing in her arms.

"That's how Schwein says hi to new people." She giggled, the first time she'd seen the stuffed pig, he'd fallen off the self right into her face.

"Schwein?" Jeff asked grinning.

"That's kind of cute where'd you think of it?" Matt asked.

"Schwein is German for pig… Momma found it on a website and it stuck." She said with a nod hugging her pig. "Oh Schwein how rude you haven't met Uncle Matt yet." She said and promptly threw the pig at the man, he caught it easily though. He even shook the pig's hoof saying it was a pleasure to meet him making the little girl giggle and Jeff just laughed shacking his head telling his brother he was nuts.

Matt handed the pig back to Shane as Jeff got her into the back seat of his car. "Buckle up Princess." Jeff told her with a smile before getting in. Matt got in his own car, "the cook out is at your uncle's house. Shane if people start to argue it's not your fault, it's just new to everyone ok?"

She nodded, "I understand… one of momma's boyfriends didn't know about me and when he came home with her he saw me with my babysitter in the living room and slapped momma yelling about her 'bastard brat' saying he wasn't going to raise another guy's kid… momma cried but she promised it wasn't my fault… what does bastard mean?"

Jeff felt for the girl she'd been through so much but she took it in such stride it was amazing really. He had to hold back his laughter when she asked what a bastard was. "A child born out of wed-lock is a bastard and that isn't a good word honey."

"Oh… I'm sorry daddy." She said softly cuddling Schwein to her little chest; she didn't like the thought of upsetting Jeff when she'd just met him.

"You didn't know its ok… but now you do and we won't be using that language anymore right?" Jeff asked looking back at her for a moment from the front. He took his right hand from the wheel holding it back to her, "deal?"

"Deal." She said slapping his hand a five.

"There's my girl. So are you excited to meet your Paw-Paw, Uncle Shannon, and Beth?" Jeff asked.

"I get another uncle? And a Beth? Wait who are Uncle Shannon and Beth?" She said the first two questions were an excited gasp.

Jeff laughed and grinned back at her, "Shannon is a very good friend of your Uncle Matt and me, he's like our brother… he'll probably be like a brother to you, he acts young enough for it. As for Beth… Beth is my girlfriend."

"Oh… Beth probably won't like me." She said softly.

"Why do you think that?" Jeff asked.

"I'm not hers…" She said, "None of momma's boyfriends liked me a'cause I wasn't theirs…"

Jeff sat there silently, what could you really say to that? He looked at her in the rearview mirror as she stretched to try and see there surroundings, after all she was used to the city and New York. This was so different and new to her but she liked it a lot so far. "Here we are." Jeff said pulling into the drive way at Matt's house just before his brother. He got out and tilted the seat forward helping her out, she left her back pack but refused to leave Schwein.

"Matt, Jeff were have you two been? We are about the throw the burgers on th… who's the kid?" Shannon asked loosing his thought seeing Shane.

"Shannon this is Shane, she's Jeff's kid." Matt said as the girl grabbed Jeff's hand only catching his middle and ring finger on his left hand. Jeff smiled down at her.

"Yeah, Reject, thought you were all knowing yesterday…" Jeff said with a grin, "why didn't you see my girl coming?"

"I was all knowing yesterday not today." He said grinning from ear to ear. "Well good news is she looks nothing like your ugly mug. But I do believe I see a tiny Amy Rockland standing next to you. It's like the Midget version 2.0."

"I'm not a midget… I'm five…" Shane said looking up at him like he was weird.

"That's my girl." Jeff said ruffling her hair with his free hand.

"Can we go meet Paw-Paw now too?" She asked pulling on Jeff's hand.

"Sure Princess." Jeff said with a little smile leading her to the backyard of Matt's house. "Ugh hi dad."

"Jeffery Nero why do you have a tag-a-long?" Clyde asked turning from the grill and spotting Shane.


End file.
